LHM Devotion - January 25, 2018 "Staying Close"

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Staying Close"

Jan. 25, 2018

(Jesus said) "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor Him."; "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

~ John 12:26; 10:27 (ESV)

CES stands for Computer Electronics Show. This year, like many years, CES was held in Las Vegas.

The CES gives companies the opportunity to showcase their products to the entire world. Success at CES can translate into a truckload of sales and gives a product a head-start in the marketplace. Last year, it was generally conceded that Amazon's Alexa walked away with the blue ribbon. Today, that company has an estimated 70 percent of the voice-controlled electronics market.

This year it is still too early to say which product will capture the imagination of John and Jane Doe. That being said, there were two items which generated a fair amount of interest and were a lot of fun to play with. Unbelievably, both of those electronic items were suitcases. Yes, suitcases.

1. The first suitcase is from a Chinese company and is called Puppy 1. Puppy 1 uses Segway's self-balancing technology to keep the suitcase upright and a special computer program which forces the suitcase to follow you wherever you go.

You can use a joystick to set the suitcase's direction, or you can just tell Puppy to follow you. It's amazing to see. The only drawback to the case is this: most of the interior is taken up by the motor and everything necessary to make things work.

2. The second suitcase which commanded attention at CES was the Modobag. The first feature of the Modobag which people liked was it enabled them, via USB ports on the case, to recharge their phones, computers, tablets, and anything else they might need.

But if recharging was all this suitcase did, it would soon have been overshadowed by the big electronics manufacturers. Truth is, this suitcase has and does more. The Modobag comes equipped with hidden handlebars and stirrups. When they are put into position, a person can sit down on his suitcase and the let the motorized case zip you around the airport at speeds up to 8 mph.

Now it is quite possible you are wondering what all this suitcase talk has to do with religion and our Daily Devotions. The answer is not a thing -- until you realize both these inventions are designed to keep important things close. Travelers know the importance of keeping important things close.

So does the Savior. He entered this world for the purpose of rescuing us from the clutches of sin, the devil, and death. He gave His life to bring sinners home, and the Holy Spirit remains intent on keeping us there.

Although our Lord had neither suitcase nor electricity to illustrate the point, He taught the same thing when He spoke of His sheep recognizing Him and following His voice. He knew the greater the distance which separates us, the greater the danger of us wandering away or being stolen. Conversely, the closer we are kept to the Redeemer, the safer and more secure we will be.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, in this world both sheep and suitcases ... and souls ... can get lost. Almost always such lostness has disastrous consequences. We pray, dear Lord, that You will keep us close to You and away from anyone or anything that would try to steal us away. This we ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

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CES stands for Computer Electronics Show. This year, like many years, CES was held in Las Vegas.